Council delighted as thousands of pupils get their first choice primary school places

In all, 8,271 out 8,794 Nottinghamshire parents secured their first preference.

These impressive figures do not come about by chance.

They show a lot of hard work behind the scenes by a team of professionals who plan and forecast the needs at a very local level.

Once again, parents, albeit a small number, listed only a single preference on their application form so they have been offered a place at another school.

I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to list all four preferences as there are hot spot areas of the county where popular schools will be over-subscribed.

Unfortunately, whatever the admissions criteria are, the likelihood is that there will be some disappointed families.

What I am most proud of is that every child in Nottinghamshire, whose parents applied before the deadline, will have a primary school place in September 2019.

The council has a statutory duty to ensure we have sufficient school places across all schools, irrespective of whether they are academies, local authority maintained or otherwise governed. And we will continue to make plans to deal with these pressures in the years to come.

I’d also like to assure late applicants that a school place will be available for their child this September as the waiting list applies to all on-time unsuccessful applications, late applications and changes to preferences.

If a parent has been refused a place at a preferred school they have a right to appeal against the decision. 

I’d also like to remind parents that the appeals process is wholly independent.

Parents can find information at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk or by calling 0300 5008080.